Donor Family Services

We’re There When You Need Us

DONOR FAMILY SERVICES

Donor Family Services (DFS) consists of certified grief counselors and our donor coordinator. Every donor family is very important to DFS and we have materials and support programs that we have created to meet the needs of each donor family. One aspect of donation that is sometimes confusing is that some families are organ-only donors, some families are tissue-only donors, some families are both tissue and organ donors – each of these is considered a donor family. Although there are some differences between these three areas of donation, each donation is life saving and/or life restoring. We have adjusted our donor family services to meet the needs of each family according to their specific type of donation, although every donor family, have full access to the DFS staff.

CORRESPONDENCE

Each donor family receives correspondence from DFS including a card or letter recognizing their loss and a Donor Family Bereavement Packet within the 1st month of the donation. Each Bereavement packet contains grief material, but additional grief material is available if needed, in English and Spanish.

Since there are far fewer organ donors than tissue donors, the organ donor families receive a phone call from a DFS Counselor within the 1st two months. Every tissue donor family receives the business card of the DFS Counselor, with complete contact information included, providing each family the opportunity to call the Counselor at their own convenience during the 1st month after donation.

After the DFS Coordinator receives the follow-up information on the recipients of the organ only donor, a letter outlining the outcome of the organ donation is mailed to the Next of Kin within 30 days of the donation.

Tissue donor families are invited to contact the DFS Counselor if they would like information on the outcome of their loved one’s gift of tissue. The tissue is prepared and held in trust for 6 months after the donation. Once the 6 month preparation time has passed the tissue is made available for transplantation and at that point DFS can provide tissue outcome to families requesting it.

For more information on connecting donor families with their recipients, please call and speak with someone from the Donor Family Services Department.

DONOR MEDAL

The donor medal was designed to honor and remember our donors. The medal was first introduced to our donor families during our statewide Donor Family Ceremony in April 2005. We send out reply forms within three months of donation so that new donor families can request a donor medal. Some families place this special medal on the tombstone of their loved one while others keep it with other remembrance items.

STATEWIDE DONOR FAMILY CEREMONIES

Sharing Hope SC DFS sponsors holiday candlelight ceremonies and/or a statewide donor family ceremony annually. Our donor families are invited to share in these special times of honoring and remembering their loved ones who have given the greatest gift – life, sight and quality of life. During the ceremonies, donor names are called by their loved ones and/or photos are displayed. In addition, organ and tissue donor families are honored with special music and guest speakers, and are given an opportunity to acknowledge the giving of the gift of life.

NATIONAL DONOR RECOGNITION CEREMONY/ US TRANSPLANT GAMES

Every two years Sharing Hope SC sponsors several donor families to be a part of the National Donor Recognition Ceremony in conjunction with the US Transplant Games. South Carolina’s donor families are awarded the opportunity to honor their loved ones and have them recognized amongst other donor families within fifty states on a national level. Donor families can reflect on the impact of donating life-saving or life-enhancing gifts that were instrumental in helping to save and improve lives.

Become a Donor Today

In 30 short minutes, three people will be added to the national transplant list, where approximately 120,000 people in the U.S. and over 1,000 in South Carolina are waiting for a life-saving transplant - 22 of those people will die today before receiving one. A single donation can make an enormous difference, both to the donor’s family and the recipient.